Road To Destiny
by Jaina Solo2
Summary: Anakin Skywalker defends a planet from the advances of the Separatist army. What will happen when dissension in the Senate complicates his mission? AnakinPadme (Set between AotC and RotS)
1. Chapter I

**Disclaimer:** I own none of this and no infringement is intended. Please do not sue me!  
  
**Title:** Road to Destiny  
  
**Author:** Me   
  
**Summary:** Anakin Skywalker defends a planet from the advances of the Separatist army. What will happen when dissension in the Senate complicates his mission?  
  
**Author's Note:** I wrote this for one reason: Because two people suggested that I write a full length story featuring Anakin and Padme. So I dedicate this story to my Master and my Apprentice, **SaraKenobi** and **JainaandJag**.

* * *

Anakin Skywalker stood on the edge of the precipice, kneeling down on one knee and looking over the edge. Rain soaked into his already muddy Jedi robes as he watched the Separatit's droid forces moving in the valley below him. This planet was one of the dozens, maybe even hundreds where the war between the Separatist's droids and the Republic's clones battled. The fighting was dormant for now, but it would erupt again soon here and Anakin wanted to be prepared for it.  
  
For the moment he was in charge on this planet. He might still be a Jedi padawan, but his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, was now a general in charge of the war in this sector of the frontlines. Anakin now held the equivalent of the rank of a Major and this was far from his first solo mission. He had confidence and experience, and while he had experienced his share of failures, he also had one of the highest mission success rates at the Temple.  
  
This mission seemed to be straight forward enough. The Republic would face casualties certainly, but it looked as if the Republic actually had a good chance of winning the battle for this world- that is if this world was still worth anything when the fighting was over. Anakin had seen far too many worlds devastated by this war. He also had a very bad feeling about this place.  
  
His careful observations began to morph into a deep meditation as he reached into the Force. He couldn't sense the battle droids in the Force, but he could sense the disturbance that was growing in the Force around this planet. He let his mind drift without direction hoping for some flash of insight into the situation. Instead he sensed a presence approaching from behind him. Anakin waited until the clone trooper had stopped behind him. Sensing clones through the Force was...odd and it could be difficult to tell one clone trooper from another with the Force, but Anakin didn't need it to know who this was.  
  
"What is it, Captain?" He asked his temporary second-in-command.  
  
The clone trooper didn't move from his customary ready position. "A message for you, Sir, from General Kenobi. He said that it was important."  
  
Anakin restrained an impatient sigh and rose to his feet. "Very well, Captain. "Let's go." With Obi-Wan's summons hanging over his head, he wouldn't have any more success with his meditations anyway. He might as well see what his Master had to say.  
  
It wasn't long before darkness had settled onto their side of the planet, reducing their visibility even further as they continued along the trail that ran along the two kilometers distance between them and their center of operations. They moved as steadily and stealthily as possible through the ominous weather while keeping a careful eye on their surroundings. Separatist forces were everywhere.  
  
Anakin's senses flared to a heightened sense of readiness as they moved through a particularly dangerous area. If he was fighting for the Separatist's this was the place that he would chose for an ambush. A natural rock formation rose about ten meters straight up on their left side and to their right flowed a deep and fast moving river. Anakin made a quick mental note to post a squad of cone troopers up there to secure the passage once he had returned to the base. It was a small, but distinct sound- metal on rock- that caught his attention and triggered his danger sense. It only took him a moment to pinpoint the location of the rest of the droids. As he had half-expected they were surrounded by the droids. The thought hardly filled Anakin with fear. This was far from the worst situation that he had found himself in since the beginning of the war.  
  
He anticipated the move of the droid in charge as he called his lightsaber to his hand with lightning fast speed and sent a spray of blaster bolts whirling away from he and the clone Captain with a dazzling series of slashes and blocks from his lightsaber. As the droids continued to fire, Anakin quickly began to assess the number of their attackers. As far as he could tell there were eight droids shooting at him. Under the barrage of blaster fire, Anakin allowed them to push him back until he was almost in the river, with the Captain behind him, returning fire.  
  
Four of the droids chose that moment to take a predator like leap down from the top of the ledge to close in on Anakin and the Captain for the kill. Anakin took that moment to go on the offensive. He charged the four droids, battering aside incoming blaster bolts quickly as he ran. When he was about two meters away from them, he dove towards the ground and turned it into a roll that quickly brought him in front of the droids. As he rolled to his feet a quick rising, diagonal slash destroyed the first droid.  
  
With a quick horizontal slash in the opposite direction, Anakin bisected the second droid. He batted away several blaster bolts, completing a full turn in the process, bringing him back face-to-face with the third droid. He brought his lightsaber down in a quick slash to destroy the third droid, before it could get off a shot with its blaster rifle. Anakin changed directions mid-flow, reversing his grip on his lightsaber and plunging it behind him at his right side. His lightsaber blade sank straight into the control center of the fourth droid.  
  
His brief skirmish had left him in an excellent position, pressed back up against the rock ledge. The remaining droids were having trouble targeting him. Anakin didn't even waste another moment to take a breath, he simply used the Force to pull all of the droids down from their positions and slam them together as hard as he could.  
  
A moment later only a pile of scrap metal lay in front of him. He leaned forwards carefully over the dismembered droids and nudged one of them with the toe of his boot. As he had expected, it didn't move. On a sudden impulse he bent down beside the droid and began to examine it.  
  
Anakin knew that they needed to get back. Obi-Wan wouldn't call him idly, but there was something here. The Force was guiding him towards something but it was something he couldn't see yet. Anakin rose quickly, kicked the ruined droid with impatience and frustration. His men would be fighting and dying tomorrow- he didn't have time to wait to discover what the Force was trying to tell him. He resisted the temptation to give the ruined droid another kick and took a step back.  
  
He half-turned to the Captain waiting patiently behind him. "As soon as we get back, I want you to send out a squad troopers to secure this passage and retrieve these carcasses. I want them carefully examined for anything out of the ordinary."  
  
The Captain nodded immediately. "Yes, Sir."  
  
They remained in silence until they returned to the base.

* * *

When Anakin at last activated the link that would put him through to Obi- Wan, even his Master's ever patient features seemed a bit frustrated with his padawan's delay. Using the Force to slide the doors to the makeshift dwelling shut behind him, Anakin wasn't in much of a patient mood himself.  
  
"Where have you been, Anakin," Obi-Wan asked sharply.  
  
"I was on a scouting mission when I received your summons, Master. We were ambushed on the way back."  
  
It didn't seem to make Obi-Wan much happier about the situation, but it did seem to appease his frustration with his padawan a bit. "Were there any casualties," Obi-wan asked methodically. He considered for a moment, asking Anakin if he had been injured, but decided that his padawan would have already reported it, if he had been and he didn't want to seem over protective or insult Anakin's competence.  
  
"Only theirs," Anakin replied dismissively. "You said it was important, Master," he prompted.  
  
Obi-Wan nodded and stroked his bearded chin as he looked at his padawan seriously. "The Supreme Chancellor has been getting pressured by many of the Senators recently. They are concerned about the reports of the devastation that is becoming common on so many worlds. This committee of senators wants to investigate the situation first hand. They think that perhaps ways should be found to fight while causing less collateral damage to the worlds where the battles are being fought."  
  
Anakin's features darkened into a scowl. "These Senators want us to fight this war for them, but they want us to go about it tidily so that their pockets don't have to feel the hardships of this war. It's ridiculous, Master!" Anger flooded into his voice at the attitudes of the Senators. They were more concerned with their greed than the welfare of the worlds and systems that they represented.  
  
Obi-wan didn't disagree with what his padawan had said or chastise him for saying it. "Chancellor Palpatine has chosen to appease the Senate by selecting a committee of Senators to examine the situation on the front lines. He asked the Council about sending the Committee to your location specifically. The Council agreed to his request on the condition that the status of the fight there on Honoghr hasn't escalated."  
  
Anakin almost growled. A committee of meddling Senators was the last thing he needed to further complicate this situation. For once he was bluntly honest with Obi-Wan. "Master, I have a bad feeling about this."  
  
"About the Senators or the status of the fighting there," Obi-Wan questioned, willing to trust Anakin's well honed instincts.  
  
Anakin shrugged, frustration lacing his gesture. "It's a vague feeling. Nothing more than a hunch, Master."  
  
Obi-Wan nodded. "I trust your hunch, Anakin, but with no evidence, I can't take it to the Chancellor. It will only lead to more problems in the Senate and accusations of obstructing Senate investigations. You'll simply have to deal with any situations as they arrive."  
  
Anakin nodded, frustration and weariness sinking into him now. It wasn't the result that he had hoped for when Obi-Wan had explained the situation, but it was what he had expected. He wondered vaguely when he had become so cynical, as Obi-Wan continued to brief him.  
  
"Anakin are you listening to me?" Obi-Wan's familiar indignant rebuke was enough to draw him out of his thoughts.  
  
"Of course," he responded evenly, not flinching in the slightest under Obi- Wan's disbelieving stare. Anakin quickly used the Force to enhance his short term memory and parroted his master's last lines back at him. "The Committee of Senators will be arriving in two days. The committee will be made up of prominent Senators from a dozen different systems. I will be dealing directly with the Senate chairperson," Anakin ended dutifully. "Is there anything else, Obi-Wan," he asked abruptly. He had already had much to do and now thanks to these Senators he had more.  
  
Fortunately Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, that's all for now." He directed a stern but affectionate look at Anakin. "Update me immediately if the situation takes a turn for the worse, Anakin. This is not something that you have to handle by yourself. May the Force be with you," he murmured almost as an after thought as he broke the connection.  
  
Anakin sighed and looked down at the small desk in front of him. It was full of administrative reports that he needed to look over before morning to keep everything running smoothly. It would be almost dawn before he was finished and he had wanted to examine the droids those droids personally when they were brought in. There was nothing else to do but get started. Hours later, weary from fighting, the unending details of the red tape that he had to deal with, and the loneliness that always threatened to overwhelm him when he was separated from Padme, Anakin fell into a restless sleep.

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Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this story. Hopefully I'll be updating again as soon as I can. :)


	2. Chapter II

**Organa46: **Sorry for the delay and updating. I blame laziness and the Olympics, but I'm going to try to begin posting at least once a week on this story.

**Mixza:** Well, Hello! _waves_ You're reading this on the JC too aren't you? Nice to see a familiar face here.

**Chirlagirl:** I'm glad you're interested. I hope you like this next part as well.

**Padme fleur: **Yeah, this chapter won't have more of Anakin's bad feeling, but that will definitely be coming.

Erin: Thank you! And as I said before sorry for the delay in posting.

* * *

**Chapter Two **  
  
Two mornings later, things were not looking much better for Anakin. His technical experts had made little progress on examining the droids that had been brought back, and while he knew that he could find what he was looking for if he had a few hours to look, he simply didn't have the time. He had been too busy organizing his troopers to defend against Separatist attacks and secure a landing location for the Senate Committee.  
  
In fact, that was what Anakin was doing now. The closest area suitable for their shuttles to land was dangerously close to Separatist controlled areas and the Separatist's forces seemed to have some how gotten a hold of the information about the arrivals.  
  
His troopers already had a perimeter set up around the landing area, but it was only a matter of time before the Separatists launched a full attack at them. All he could do was wait and prepare.  
  
"Major Skywalker," called one of his troopers, a Lieutenant whose designation he couldn't recall, "the shuttle is approaching, sir. ETA five minutes."  
  
Anakin nodded with a scowl. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Have your troopers standing by on alert," he added as an afterthought. Anakin took a deep breath and ran through a simple Jedi calming technique as the Lieutenant returned to his men. In a moment, he would have to be a calm, diplomatic Jedi in front of a group of unruly, conniving Senators. As much as he despised the idea of babysitting these Senators, Anakin recognized that he was being trusted with a significant responsibility by the Council and he would not fail Obi-Wan. Not after Yaddle, not after Geonosis.  
  
He could see the shuttle clearly now, dropping down towards him. With one last penetrating look and a careful scan of the flow of the Force around him, Anakin turned back to face the descending shuttle, temporarily satisfied with the security situation, and folded his arms behind him in a pose of patience.  
  
A slight breeze kicked up by the shuttles' repulsors as they landed ruffled Anakin's long hair. The landing ramp lowered and he stepped forward to the bottom of the ramp. He immediately recognized the Senator in the lead as Bail Organa, the Senator from Alderaan and one of the few Senators that Anakin still respected. He bowed formally to the senator as the rest began to take their places beside Senator Organa.  
  
"Welcome to Honoghr, Senator Organa. I hope you and your esteemed colleagues will be able to investigate to your satisfaction."  
  
Bail inclined his head in response to what Anakin had said. "Thank you, Jedi Skywalker. I'm sure we won't have a problem." He gestured to the three beings visible beside him. "These are my colleagues, Senator T'Lexyn of Ryloth, Senator Garm bel Iblis of Corellia, Senator Gryshkta from Kashyyyk, and," he paused and half-turned to look behind him. The Wookie and the tall Corellian parted to reveal the last Senator. "I believe you already know Senator Amidala of Naboo, Jedi Skywalker."  
  
Anakin hardly heard what the Senator said as he saw Padme. He was frozen with surprise at seeing here there. Her beauty made him catch his breath and the connection between them was electric even from a distance.  
  
"It's good to see you again, Jedi Skywalker," Padme said calmly, taking a step forward towards Anakin.  
  
It was enough to snap him out of his momentary shock at seeing his love here, in this place. He was grateful for the time that she had given him to regain his composure.  
  
"Thank you, Senator." He inclined his head towards her and then added, "It's good to see you again, as well. The tension of the moment lingered for a long instant, until the three Senators around her began to move down the ramp, taking their first look at the world that they would be investigating.  
  
Anakin quickly took several steps up the boarding ramp until he was almost beside Padme, and offered her his hand to escort her down. Their eyes met as she slowly moved to place her hand in his. Only Anakin could her slight gasp as they touched and sense the complex emotions flowing through her at the moment. Most of all he sensed love—love for him—and he savored it. She was his angel and he loved her so much. There was nothing that they could say and neither of them felt like making small talk, so they walked in silence to the speeders that were waiting to take them back to the base of operations.  
  
Anakin sensed the disturbance in the Force as Padme stepped into the speeder. He spun to face the incoming danger, his hand reaching for his lightsaber with Jedi reflexes. The blaster bolt burned across his shoulder. Anakin cursed more out of anger and frustration, than pain and batted aside two more incoming blaster bolts before he leapt in front of the small knot of Senators. His lightsaber flashed, deflecting incoming fire away from its targets and back towards the shooters. Snipers, his mind quickly supplied. It only took him an instant to find their positions. He would deal with them as soon as he knew Padme and the other Senators were safe.  
  
The blaster rifles that the Separatist's droid army was using were capable of damaging the speeders that the Senators would be in, but Anakin wasn't worried.  
  
Everything that he had seen so far and what the Force was telling him at the moment was that this was only a diversion for something larger. He noted that his clone troopers were moving quickly now, getting Padme and the other Senators into the relative safety of the speeders.  
  
Anakin deflected another flurry of incoming blaster fire and took several steps back. He reached deeper into the flow of the Force, searching for something that he could use to quickly and decisively end this battle. Instead of barrage of images flashed through Anakin's mind and he screamed, "Padme!"  
  
He felt her immediate response as he turned his back on the blaster bolts coming towards him, without hesitating. He dove deeper into the flow of the Force even as he ran towards his wife and the speeder that she sat in. "Get out!" He yelled as he quickly closed the distance between them, blaster bolts thudding into the ground at his heels.  
  
He could sense Padme's confusion, but she moved quickly to get out nevertheless. She trusted him completely. He felt the flash of fear that spread through her as the door to the speeder refused to open. He ripped it off with the Force and pulled her towards him, just as the speeder erupted into a fiery explosion.  
  
**Coming Soon: The aftermath of the explosion. **


	3. Chapter III

**Chapter Three **  
  
The force of the explosion threw them back and they landed hard on the ground. They were sore, but uninjured as they began to quickly move away from the site of the explosion. Anakin had used the Force to shield them from most of the heat and shrapnel from the explosion.  
  
Anakin quickly caught her arm and pulled her closely behind him as they ducked behind a bit of natural cover.  
  
"Here," he said quickly, "Take this." Anakin pressed a blaster rifle that he had taken off of a dead clone into her hands. He quickly turned back to the wreckage around them. There were two other speeders besides the one that Padme had been in. They had both been blown up as well. Anakin doubted that the towering Wookie Senator was still alive. He had been one of the first senators into the speeders. For the moment he couldn't sense the others, but he had confidence in his troopers. If any of the other senators were still alive, his troopers would be protecting them.  
  
A blaster bolt screamed across the wide clearing. A battle droid fell into view, a smoking hole blasted visible where its control center should have been. Anakin smiled grimly. His clone troopers were already at work. An instant later, it was as if that shot had broken the temporary cease-fire. A hail of blaster bolts began to rain down through the dense vegetation and a line of battle droids began to push towards Anakin's troops.  
  
The clones held their ground courageously, but Anakin could see that they wouldn't be able to hold out against the sheer onslaught of the droids—at least not in their present position. Anakin quickly began to call orders into his comm. link, redirecting his troops, drawing them back in a strategic retreat.  
  
In the next instant, Anakin leaped over the small rock formation and charged towards the leading edges of the approaching line of battle droids.  
  
"Anakin!"  
  
He hardly heard Padme's sharp cry as he ran into the fight. His lightsaber flashed eerie shadows of colors across the landscape and slashed through his opponents quickly. An instant later Anakin's defense faltered. He had turned to disarm the droid that he could feel targeting him and then suddenly nothing was there. It was hardly enough to disrupt the rhythm of Anakin's fight, but it did surprise him. He dismissed it quickly as a simple miscalculation on his part as he moved fluidly to destroy his next target. Just before his lightsaber connected with it, the battle droid was blown back, a blaster bolt slamming into its torso.  
  
Anakin changed the direction of his lightsaber immediately, thrusting his lightsaber into the center of a nearby droid and using the Force to shove the second oncoming droid down violently. He used the brief reprieve to glance back behind him, visually retracing the trajectory of the blaster bolts that had helped him back to their source. He saw Padme staring back at him, a determined smile on her face and the blaster rifle tucked into her shoulder in firing position. He nodded to her quickly with a wide grin growing on his face, and then turned back to the fight. As he fell into the flow of the Force, he began to anticipate Padme's shots, working them into the way that he was fighting.  
  
It was a strangely exhilarating feeling, working with Padme the way that he was, and it was like nothing that Anakin had ever experienced. It was a closeness that he had never even shared with Obi-Wan. Anakin slashed through the defenses of the next two battle droids and destroyed them with more force than necessary as he thought of his Master. It wasn't right. He was the most powerful Padawan in the Temple and he was the most experienced. He had proven his skills as a Jedi in battle after battle, surviving when many Knights and Masters had fallen and still Obi-Wan wouldn't recommend him for the Trials.  
  
Anakin leaped forward, smashing feet first into a battle droid, and beheaded it before it hit the ground. As he jumped away from the wreckage of the droid, Anakin froze as a sudden high-pitched whine caught his attention. He glanced quickly behind him and easily spotted the troop transports skimming in low over the horizon. His clones had already called in their ride out of there. Anakin quickly deflected the next two blaster bolts flying towards him and then sprinted towards Padme.  
  
Blaster bolts bit into the ground at his heels and screamed passed his head, but none hit him. He dove smoothly behind the rock formation that Padme was using for cover and rolled to his feet deflecting several incoming blaster bolts. He crouched down beside her for a moment. "Our ride is incoming."  
  
She nodded, her attention still focused mainly on the droids in front of them as she squeezed off several more shots. Her silence worried him.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked her as he snapped his lightsaber out and deflected a shot directly back at a droid.  
  
"I will be," she responded sharply. It wasn't the response that he had been hoping for, but it was all that they had time for. The troop transport swooped in low and cut its thrusters sharply, sliding into position within several meters of them.  
  
"Go!" Anakin said sharply, putting himself between Padme and the approaching battle droids as they ran towards the transport. As the rest of his clone troopers and the three remaining Senators that they protected began to board it, Anakin continued to protect the transport and those on it from any incoming blaster fire. He was the last to board the transport as it lifted off and he immediately took a place beside Padme.  
  
He glanced towards the cockpit quickly, and relaxed slightly as he saw one of his best pilots flying the transport. He shouted a few quick orders at the man before stepping back to Padme's side. Anakin wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. To the Senators watching them he flashed a quick smile and offered, "So that the Senator doesn't fall out like last time."  
  
It was a small comment, but it was enough to momentarily dispel the tension and fear in the transport. Everything that had happened that day and all of the events that conspired to bring him there to the planet were suddenly worth it as he felt Padme relax against him. Anakin savored being able to hold her and the sensation of her side pressed up against his. Just having her back beside changed everything. She was the best part of his life and whenever she was with him nothing seemed as dark as when she was gone.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think. :)


	4. Chapter IV

Constructive criticism welcomed.

**Chapter Four **  
  
It was relatively quiet that evening as Anakin stood over the large desk in his quarters, surveying reports from various clones about the fighting that had occurred that day around the planet. At least that was what he was supposed to be doing. Thoughts of Padme filled his mind and he didn't even bother trying to push them aside. This mission would be torture if he had to pretend to be only an acquaintance of hers. He wondered if it was worth the risk of being caught and exposed to go and see her and decided in an instant that it was.  
  
Most people knew them to be old friends—it wouldn't be so unexplainable for him to be in her quarters. He started to turn to go, but stopped as a pair of slender arms slid around his waist from behind him. He laughed abruptly at the irony of the situation—it seemed as if she had come to find him—and received a sharp slap on the stomach for it. He was still smiling as he turned to face her.  
  
For a moment, they stood frozen, and then Anakin slowly moved closer to her, wrapping her in a tight embrace. "I've missed you so much," he said softly, but intensely. His lips moved next to her ear.  
  
In response her arms tightened about him. They held to each other tightly, for a long moment in silence, and then Padme pulled back from Anakin slightly tilting her head up for a demanding kiss.  
  
After several long, blissful moments, Padme was the first to break the kiss. Without a word, she moved closer to Anakin, tucking her head up under his chin and holding onto him tightly.  
  
Anakin held her just as tightly, stroking a hand gently down her back. Quietly, he asked her, "Are you all right, Padme?"  
  
He felt her flinch under his touch and he wondered just what had happened to her since he had seen her. She clung to him for a moment longer, seeming to use his presence to ward off whatever was bothering her.  
  
"Things are getting worse in the Senate," she confided so softly that Anakin almost couldn't hear her. "The Senate is so divided that no action can be taken and I fear that this is more than just the usual politics of the Senate. I fear that soon the Senate will stop working all together. I don't have any proof of it, yet, but . . .," she let her voice trail off.  
  
Anakin could sense her reluctance to voice her suspicions clearly through the Force. Padme wasn't afraid of what she was fighting, but she didn't want to be right in this instance. "But, what, Angel?" he prompted her gently.  
  
"I think certain members of the Senate are on the pay roll of the Separatists. They're stalling everything that comes through the Senate, making in impossible for us to take any kind of action, or even defend our worlds. We aren't even allotting funds to help the billions of beings that are now homeless refugees." Her voice had grown stronger as she spoke, but it still rang with frustration.  
  
Anakin didn't know what to say. He felt helpless to do anything that could help her. He was a fighter, not a politician. He continued to hold her, hoping that would be enough and hoping that she knew how much he loved her.  
  
She stayed pressed lightly up against him for a moment and then pulled away just enough that she could look him in the eyes. "Anakin, you should know....One of the Senators that I suspect of working with the Separatists is Senator T'Lexyn. He's one of the most powerful Senators and he has a large number of supporters among the other Senators. That's why Palpatine had to put him on this committee. He's also one of my most dangerous opponents."  
  
A brief flash of anger surged through Anakin. He would allow no one to hurt Padme. No one should be allowed to make her feel like this. "We'll deal with him," Anakin said, reassurance and anger mixing in his voice. This added a new dimension to his mission, however. One that he hadn't anticipated, but one he had no apprehension about dealing with. It was simply one more thing.  
  
"Do you think he's actively and directly working with the Separatists or just be relayed messages telling him what he should do?"  
  
She considered for a moment the information that she knew, and then shook her head. "I don't know, Ani. I haven't been able to find any concrete information about him."  
  
Anakin nodded. "Okay." He let go of her and turned back towards his desk, searching for his comm. link among the clutter. After searching for a moment, rearranging a few of the cluttered data cards, he found it. He activated it with a flick of his finger and raised it to his lips. "Captain?"  
  
He hesitated only for a moment to wait for the Clone Captain to acknowledge his call. "I need you to assign two troopers to discreetly keep an eye on Senator T'Lexyn. If he starts to do anything suspicious or makes any unauthorized communications or meetings, I want to know about it immediately. Report to me only and instruct your troopers not to interfere in anything that he does."  
  
"Aye, Sir!" His Captain's response was immediate and unquestioning. It was one of the advantages of the clone troopers.  
  
Anakin clicked the comm. link off and glanced at the chrono. It was getting late. He considered quickly the rest of the most pressing concerns that were piled up on his desk, and dismissed most of them as not urgent. The only thing that caught his attention for a moment was the preliminary report on the droids. He scowled briefly. The analysis of the droids was taking far too long. He would have to talk to the techs that were in charge of the analysis about that. He sighed, it was too late now, however. He would have to talk to them in the morning.  
  
Anakin turned back to Padme and held a hand out to her. She smiled up at him and placed her hand in his. He stood frozen for a moment, simply looking at her.  
  
As he remained still, looking at her, she looked at him questioningly, still smiling. "Anakin?"  
  
"You are so beautiful," he murmured, reaching towards her with his other hand. He wrapped his hands around her waist and whispered reverently, "I was wrong, Love. You're even more beautiful than an angel."  
  
The smile on her face was brilliant as she leaned in to kiss him. "I love you, Ani," she whispered just before her lips touched his.

* * *

A sharp beeping woke Anakin abruptly. He struggled disoriented to catch his bearings in the darkened room. He relaxed imperceptibly as he felt Padme beside him and then struggled to locate the source of the offending beep. He recognized it, a moment later as the chime of his comm. link, and sat up in beg, careful not disturb his still sleeping wife. He resisted the temptation to fling the comm. link into the nearest wall and kiss her soft lips until she woke back up, and used the Force to bring him the comm. link.  
  
"Major Skywalker," he answered, trying to banish the grogginess from his voice.  
  
"Sir," the clone's voice was sharp and full of intensity. "We're getting reports of a full Separatist advance."  
  
It was enough to immediately capture Anakin's attention. "Where?" He demanded.  
  
"They're advancing on a command base on the opposite side of the planet. It looks like they're fully committing their forces, sir."  
  
Anakin almost smiled. He had been waiting for them to commit their forces to unleash his clones. "Very well, Captain," he said calmly. "Put our plan in action. I'll be there in ten standard minutes."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
The Captain signed off and Anakin rose. The battle for this planet had now officially begun. His first decision was whether or not to wake Padme. 


	5. Chapter V

**Chapter Five**

Anakin stepped aside as the door to the temporary control center swung open and let Padme pass through it first. She had woken as he had dressed and decided to come with him. Part of Anakin was happy that she would be with him. Another part would have preferred instead that she not be present and not be forced to witness the most unpleasant aspects of war. He knew, however, that she already carried the knowledge of more than one first hand conflict.  
  
He guided her through the maze of consoles and busily working clone troopers to reach the center of the large room. The giant holodisplay was already active. He stared at it for a moment, and then called the captain over to his side.  
  
Anakin pointed to the advancing onslaught of droids. "Bring one division of troopers up on their left side. Don't allow the droids to gain the higher ground. Pull a second division out and use them to reinforce the first group and push the droids back. Hold everything else back for the moment."  
  
He stepped back to stand by Padme, and folded his arms across his chest. Padme was looking at him with curiosity.  
  
He answered her unasked question simply. "Something about this Separatist attack feels wrong. I don't want to commit the main force of my troops yet."  
  
She gave him a grim half-nod in response and turned back to the holodisplay of the unfolding situation. They stayed that way for the next hour; Padme watching the battle in grim silence and occasionally asking him quiet questions while Anakin surveyed the ever changing surface of the battle field and called out quick orders.  
  
Another trooped strode up behind Anakin and handed him a datapad. "The troopers are fighting at a very successful rate today, sir. The two divisions are effectively pushing the droid army back while inflicting heavy casualties on the droids."  
  
Anakin nodded, his face the serene mask of a Jedi, but the look in his eyes was troubled. Padme followed him out of the command center without hesitation. She resisted the urge to catch his hand in hers, and instead asked quietly, "What are you thinking, Anakin?"  
  
He stopped walking and looked at her for a moment. Then he caught her arm and gently pulled her aside to a small, dark alleyway where they could be overseen or overheard. "We should be winning this battle," he explained in a low voice, "But not this easily. The Separatists usually make us pay for every square centimeter that we take from them, and I'm afraid that there is some larger plan at work here. I need to go find out what it is," he said firmly.  
  
"I'm going with you," she responded instantly.  
  
Anakin shook his head almost immediately. "This is too dangerous." He took a step closer to her and reached out a hand to touch her face, almost as if he believed that she wasn't really there. "You almost died yesterday, Padme," he whispered softly, anguish clearly evident in his voice. "I almost lost you. I can't risk loosing you again, Angel."  
  
She closed the distance between them, reaching up to grasp the hand that touched her face and encircling it in her own, placing their joined hands over her heart. "I know, Anakin," she said softly, "but is there any place on this planet that I'll be safer than with you?"  
  
He looked down and grimaced. He wanted her with him. He always did, even when he was in the midst of the worst battle, and there were very few people who he would truly trust to protect her completely. He certainly didn't trust anyone here on this planet that fully.  
  
If he left her there then he would worry about her lack of adequate protection. If she went with him, he would be constantly worried about protecting her from the retreating droid army. Senator Amidala would be a very important prize for the Separatists. He could feel the anger and frustration surging through him. It wasn't fair of her to put him in this situation. He loved her so much. She was his life. He started to jerk his hand away from hers in a gesture of angered frustration. Maybe the Council was right. These emotions seemed to cloud his mind and he couldn't seem to think clearly.  
  
Then he felt Padme's thumb caress down along the line of his hand and he heard her ask, "Ani?" Her voice was quiet and soothing to him.  
  
He looked up, bringing a smile to his lips for her, and exhaling all of his anger and frustration away in one deep sigh. He breathed calmly back in, centering himself in the Force and in her presence.  
  
He raised their joined hands towards him and placed a kiss on top of both of her hands as they encircled his. "Come on," he said quickly, "we have a transport to catch and we have to make a few preparations before we leave."

* * *

They stood together, once again in a swaying airborne troop transport. This time, however, Anakin was not holding onto Padme. Instead she was leaning against the only solid portion of the side wall of the transport as Anakin knelt before her. She heard a snap and then felt something tighten around her leg. She looked down at Anakin and found herself staring into his brilliant blue eyes as he flashed her a wild grin.  
  
"That should do it, milady."  
  
She shot Anakin a small glare for his mocking formality and asked, "Tell me why I have to ware this body armor, again? I'm a Senator, not a clone trooper."  
  
Anakin's grin grew wickedly mischievous as he stood up in front of her, leaning very close to her. "I know you're not a trooper," he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear. "I wouldn't have married a trooper." Anakin pushed sharply against the wall behind her and was suddenly standing several feet away from him, leaving her almost breathless at the sudden loss of contact. "But the Separatists don't care if you're a Senator. They will still shoot at you, either way, and this way, at least you'll have a little bit more protection."  
  
"Anakin-" She was cut off by the voice of the pilot from the cockpit.  
  
"Sir, there's an urgent incoming message for you. It's coming from the main command base."  
Anakin was instantly serious and focused. "Patch it through," he said quickly. He snatched a headset from a near by holder and listened.  
  
"This is central command base. Repeat, CENTRAL command base. We are under attack by a large force of droids. Their exact numbers are unknown, but they appear to outnumber us by about 3 to 1. Our defenses are holding, but we are under heavy attack."  
  
Anakin resisted the urge to curse and asked, "Where in Hoth did they come from, Lieutenant? Intelligence reported no large Separatist forces in the area."  
  
"Unknown, sir. Our sensors did not show them until they were attacking us and our scouts have not reported in since they were sent out last evening."  
  
Anakin cursed inwardly. This was not good. "Hold them off, Lieutenant," he ordered. "I'll send in reinforcements as soon as they're available."  
  
"Aye, sir."  
  
The connection clicked off and Anakin turned to the pilot. "What's the status of the first battle?"  
  
"Still in progress, sir. The droid army is being eliminated and pushed back. Estimated remaining battle time is 3.84 hours."  
  
"In coming!" The copilot's voice was sharp and guttural, but not panicked as he called out his warning. Anakin reacted with Jedi speed and pulled Padme to him, grabbing for a solid hand hold at the same time. In the next instant the ship shuddered with the impact. The second and third impacts followed rapidly, hitting with even greater impact as the pilot tried to evade the incoming fire. The fourth impact slammed into the transport in a direct hit, sending a showering of sparks and a roiling explosion back from the cockpit and threw Anakin and Padme into the air. 


	6. Chapter VI

About the 3.84 hours, I'm sorry for the confusion. I had originally meant that to read as 3 hours and eighty-four tenths of an hour. I had forgotten that some people write hours and minutes that way. So there's no particular reason, just my weird brain. I'll try to remember to go back and change that later.

**Chapter Six**

Padme woke in an isolated room, shivering with cold. The chill that radiated off of the cold medal and stone that made up her prison had settled down into her bones. She rolled to one side to attempt to get up and gasped in pain. The world swam around her and it took all of her concentration to hold back the fierce sensation of nausea clutching her. Her head pounded and her entire body felt as if she had been run over bay a herd of rampaging rancors.

When she could sit up without throwing up, Padme opened her eyes and surveyed the room around her. There were no visible windows or doors. The room was well lit, but there was no light source that she could determine. There was nothing that presented itself as an immediate escape route and nothing that she could use as a weapon or a tool to help free herself.

She shifted slightly and hissed again in pain as something jabbed painfully into her rib cage. Padme looked down and realized that she was still wearing the full body armor that Anakin had insisted that she ware. As she looked at it, she noted the massive damage that it had sustained and the large caved in portion that was poking into her ribs. She had a sudden fleeting flash of her falling through the air and then hitting...something... with incredible force. The impact that had crushed the armor would have crushed her as well had she not been wearing it. It had saved her life. Now all she had to do was get out of this place, so that she could find Anakin and thank him.

Having learned her lesson, Padme moved slowly and carefully to take off the top portion of the armor. It was useless now, causing her more pain and impeding her movements. Once she had finally gotten it off, Padme glanced down and surveyed the rest of the armor. It was in better condition and she decided to leave it on for the moment.

Padme took a deep breath and then stood up. She swayed unsteadily for a moment, and then gained control of her balance. The solid stone wall in front of her suddenly retracted and then slid up in one swift movement. Two standard battle droids stood in the doorway carrying their blaster rifles in the ready position.

"Hands in front of you. Comply now or be terminated."

Padme studied them for an instant. Battle droids were not known for their sense of humor or for bluffing. She extended her hands. The droid on the left switched his blaster rifle to a one handed grip and then step forward and fastened a pair of stun cuffs on her wrists. She turned her gaze with as much strength as she could muster at the moment on the second droid.

"I've cooperated with you. Now take me to your commander."

Both droids ignored her and continued to lead her down the corridor as Padme tried to think quickly. She was worried about Anakin more than herself for now. Besides being imprisoned, she hadn't actually been harmed yet. Anakin was a Jedi Knight and the commander of the Republic forces on this world. They were likely to torture him or execute him. He could have died in the explosion and she wouldn't know. Her throbbing head made thinking clearly even harder.

"Where are you taking me," she demanded.

Once again the droids ignored her. A moment later, the first droid stopped, spun to face her and in its dull monotone said, "Halt."

Padme stopped and waited. The droid waved one blaster shaped arm over a section of wall in front of them. The wall retracted just as the wall of her prison had and slid quietly open. The door had barely slid into place when the droid behind her shoved her into the room. She slammed painfully into the far wall with the force of the droid's shove. She pushed herself back to a standing position and stifled a pained groan.

Padme glared at the droids as the door slid back shut and then finally looked around the small room.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to greet you in person, Senator Amidala," a cold voice drawled. The man stood against the far wall, his back to her as he worked over a wall length row of equipment. "But I am a very busy man."

He smiled at her with a smug look in his eyes that immediately set her on edge. She didn't know who this man was, but he certainly knew that he didn't have anything pleasant planned for her.

"And unfortunately, anything I have much to do and I cannot allow you or your Jedi friend to interfere with my plans." He waved a hand behind him in a theatrical gesture.

Padme took a step back away from him and then glanced behind her to see what he had gestured at while still keeping an eye on him. She gasped as another door slid open, revealing Anakin. She took a step down closer to him before she could stop herself. His arms were encased in durasteel from his wrists up to his shoulders. Metal bands six inches thick wrapped around his torso and his legs were encased like his arms.

She turned back to the man with a defiant glare. She had led a war to take back her homeworld at fourteen. This man was nothing to be frightened or intimidated by.

"I would advise you, Senator, to join the Jedi of your own free will. You will join him regardless."

Padme ignored his ultimatum and took a step closer to the man. "What is your name?"

"Roban Krahl," the man drawled expectantly, as if he expected her to know who he was.

"Well, Roban Krahl, rest assured. I will never forget your name, or what you have done. I have stopped men like you my whole life and you will be no exception." Padme turned her back on him, ignoring the look of fury on his face and stepped inside the room with Anakin.


	7. Chapter VII

**Chapter Seven**

Padme remained frozen until the door slid shut and the man was out of sight and then moved quickly over to Anakin's side.

"Ani," she called urgently, trying to get his attention as she looked up into his face.

He stared back at her uneasily, not quite managing to focus on her.

"Anakin," she repeated his name more sharply, reaching up to touch his face.

He seemed to stir at her touch and asked weakly, "Padme?"

"I'm right here, Ani," she replied quickly.

His skin felt hot and damp against her palm and she now noticed the redness in his eyes- the way that his pupils were unnaturally dilated. That was how they were keeping him, there and sedated, she realized. Anakin had been drugged until he couldn't focus enough to concentrate properly on the situation that they were in.

Padme felt a moment of heart stopping desperation as she realized Anakin's condition. She hadn't noticed how much her plan for escaping this place had relied on Anakin and his skills as a Jedi. She had thought that everything would be okay once she found him.

Padme took a quick, deep breath and then quickly pushed aside her brief moment of anxiety, replacing it with determination.

"Anakin?" She coincided her sharp call with a light, but stinging slap to his cheek. It seemed to be enough to catch his attention for a moment. That small sign gave Padme hope. If she could just get him to focus for a moment more…

"Anakin," she repeated forcefully, "Look at me! I need you to look at me and to do what I'm saying."

"Padme," he mumbled again, but this time his eyes held her gaze for a moment longer. She smiled involuntarily.

"Anakin," she started, speaking quieter this time, but with no less intensity. She didn't want to be overheard. "You have to use the Force to cleanse your body. You've been drugged."

"Drugged," Anakin repeated in an almost unintelligible mumble.

Padme wondered if he even understood what she was saying. The amount of drugs that they had used on him had been very effective. A non-Jedi would have no chance and Anakin would only have a chance to fight off the effects if she could get him to understand and help himself.

Abruptly Anakin's head slumped sharply to the side, resting heavily against her hand. He seemed to have been suddenly more effected by the drug rather than less. She sighed. She couldn't do anything to him now, only watch. Padme reached over blindly and caught his other hand in hers. The moment she wound her fingers through his, his fingers tightened around hers in an almost painful grip.

She stood with him that way for what felt like forever. When her arm started to cramp and she started to pull away from him to change positions, his fingers tightened around hers convulsively.

"Padme." His voice was stronger now, more lucid this time and when she looked up he was staring at her clearly.

He easily met her gaze and she was almost shocked to find no hint of the heavy sedation that he had been under visible in his features. It was that exact moment that his eyes rolled back up in his head and his head slumped over into her hand once again.

"Anakin," she repeated his name desperately, hating to lose him again and frightened by his sudden loss of consciousness. He continued to appear to be heavily sedated, but she could feel his fingers squeeze hers gently for an instant.

She glanced between his face and their joined hands- an idea slowly forming in her mind. She took a step closer to him and leaned her head against one of the metal hands that bound his stomach.

Then Padme whispered softly, "If you can hear me, squeeze my hand twice."

She held her breath, waiting as she felt his fingers tighten around hers, first once and then twice. She smiled in relief, her face hidden from view by their bodies and the fall of her long hair. Anakin was faking the sedation now, which meant that he suspected that they were still being watched. They would have to act accordingly. She stood up, schooling her features to look absolutely defeated and slid to a seat against the wall that Anakin was bound to. She pulled her knees up against her chest and laid her head on top of her arms. It looked as if she was sleeping. Instead she was merely trying to determine what their next move would be.

"Padme!" Anakin's strained voice caught her attention immediately.

She stood up quickly, moving towards him. "What is it, Anakin?"

"I'm using the Force to keep the surveillance devices in this room scrambled for a few moments. Strip off the armor."

Padme shot him a shocked glare, "Anakin! Now is not the time for that!"

He shook his head quickly, the move made awkward by his restraints. "No," he said too loudly, "not that. Just do it. Hurry! I can't scramble these devices much longer."

She hesitated for a moment and he added, "Trust me."

It didn't take any more persuasion for her to begin to strip off the remaining armor. Anakin shot her a strained smile. "Now get my cloak- they put it in the corner- and put it on."

She looked at him curiously, but moved quickly to do as he asked nevertheless. He watched, his brow furrowed with concentration, as she finished pulling on his large cloak.

"Good. One last thing," he added. "Get the black cylinder that's strapped inside the right leg of the armor and put in inside your sleeve." She had just slipped the dark cylinder down her sleeve when she heard Anakin hiss in irritation.

She slowed her motions and tried to act as natural as possible as she glanced back up at him. He looked as slack and unconscious as he had before. She struggled to hold back her questions then and paced around the small confines of the cell until she was in front of him again.

She watched him for a moment, and then practically wailed, "Oh, Anakin," and half-collapsed against him. There position and close contact, once again hiding her from being seen by the rooms surveillance devices, she hissed, "What now?"

"Nothing," he whispered back.

Padme felt a slight tug on the sleeve of her robe and watched as the small cylinder floated into the air in front of her. There was quick burst of light that turned suddenly into a blur that she couldn't follow with her eyes. A moment later the cylinder, now topped by a small glowing shaft of light, hovered in front of her again.

"Hurry," Anakin urged her quickly. "You have to cut me down. I've disabled all of their surveillance devices in this room permanently, but we won't have much time before a guard comes to investigate. Start with this arm," he instructed, jerking his head towards his mechanical arm.

Padme didn't hesitate. Now was not the time for asking questions. It was time for action. She held the cylinder activated in her hand, her knuckles white from the strength of her grip. She glanced up at Anakin for an instant, searching for reassurance. She had to cut deep enough the first time or this would take too long, but if she cut too deep, she could seriously injure him.

She found him watching her with the calmness of absolute faith. She took a deep breath and then began working as fast as she could, dragging the blade steadily and as quickly as she dared down the length of the metal that covered his arm.

The moment his first arm was free, he quickly said, "Here," and reached over to take it from her.

She placed the cylinder in his hand, and watched as he quickly cut himself free of his bonds. The moment that Anakin was free, he caught Padme's hand and said quickly, "We have to get out of here."

"I know." She smirked at him cynically, "But it's your turn to come up with a plan."


End file.
